The Copyright Alert System was conceived all the way back in 2011 as a new way to deal with seemingly unstoppable online piracy. It finally goes into effect today, and it will impact a huge portion of US Internet users. Sounds scary, but what is it, exactly? And what does it mean for you?

TorrentFreak has posted a supposedly leaked presentation by the RIAA's chief lawyer that says that it defended SOPA and PIPA even though it knew the censorship legislation wouldn't be effective against music piracy. Is the RIAA for real or are they just covering their asses, and what does it mean for your freedom…